This weekend, a squad of six of us travelled to Rainworth, Nottingham, to take part in the Pétanque England National Mixed Doubles and Triples Weekend. For four of us, it was our very first National event!
The competition was run in a Swiss-style format, attracting players of National and International level—and then there was us!
Saturday – Mixed Doubles
The day began with the Mixed Doubles. Thirty-four teams competed, with the first round drawn at random. Winners played winners, losers played losers, and so on. From these results, teams were split into Gold, Silver, and Bronze knockout categories for the afternoon.
Our results:
- Debbie & Darren made it into the Gold category after winning 2 of their 3 games, including a convincing 13–2 win. They were knocked out by Kaylee Thatcher and Callum Lombard, who went on to become Mixed Doubles Champions 2025.
- Dave & Linda qualified for the Silver category, also winning 2 out of 3. They reached the semi-finals but were knocked out by Stone Williams and Jill Butt, who went on to be Silver runners-up.
- Ian & Christine fought hard through to their category semi-final, where they were beaten by Pat and Simon in an extra-end thriller that went right to the wire.
Sunday – Triples
On Sunday, it was time for the Triples competition. Both of our teams won 2 and lost 1 in the morning, placing them in the Silver category knockouts.
- Ian, Christine & Darren won through to the semi-final but lost 13–7 in a nail-biting finish, after their opponents scored 5 in the final end.
- Dave, Linda & Debbie reached the quarter-finals, facing an outstanding team of international players from London Pétanque. It was an incredible battle:
- Linda’s pointing was spot-on every time, but the opposition’s two superb shooters constantly removed her boules.
- Dave managed to keep pressure on with solid placements, reducing their points.
At one stage, we were 9–0 down and looked like we might get fannied, but we fought back to 12–10. In the final end:
- London cleared all our boules and surrounded the coche.
- With live lines, Debbie shot the coche, sending it to 10.5 meters, alongside two of our boules.
- London had one boule left. If we could just place one closer, the match would be ours… but it didn’t happen. London pointed in perfectly to take the win.
Reflections
The whole weekend was a fantastic experience. Competing at National level was a little daunting at first, but it showed us that we can play—and play well—at a higher standard. We learned so much that will only help us improve further, and we met some amazing people along the way.
One end at a time – One shot at a time – One game at a time
